Last Minute Gifts

My brother recently took a business trip to Japan. He was told that it’s customary in that country to give small gifts to those you meet. The Japanese present visitors with gifts, and it’s considered rude not to return in kind. A friend of mine had the same experience when she spent a semester studying in Japan.

The gifts the Japanese hosts give are not terribly costly or large, but they are usually uniquely Japanese. So, the debate began. What should my brother take along with him to give as gifts to his hosts? It needed to be something small, packable, and something that could not easily be broken. To be in keeping with the tradition, it would also be helpful if it was something uniquely American or Midwestern (where he is from).

In the end, he ended up taking some hard candies that are hand-made in a local candy factory. They are beautiful creations in many flavors and colors! Also, his father-in-law grows and packages sunflower seeds. Since the Midwest is known for growing things, he took some of these delicious seeds along as well.

His trip was a wonderful experience, and he is planning on going again next year. I wonder what gift ideas he will come up with for his next trip?

This year for vacation we went camping - yes, good old fashioned tent camping. Tent camping has improved a bit since I was a kid. Most camp sites now have flush toilets, and some even have showers. They also have this wonderful new invention called an air matress.

If you are a clean freak, camping is not the vacation for you. Between the smoke from the camp fire and the dirt that’s everywhere, you will not come home with anyting that’s clean. My youngest child thought she had died and gone to heaven. We gave her a shower to get one layer of dirt off, and five minutes later, we discovered her literally rolling around in dirt piles she had constructed herself with a look of pure joy on her face.

Despite the dirt, it was a wonderful vacation. Without the distraction from television and computers, it’s amazing how much fun you can have. We watched deer graze near our campsite, watched a hummingbird chase a squirrel, played lots of card games and frisbee, and roasted marshmallows. We came home rested, relaxed, and with a whole batch of new memories.